Process of preparing coating materials



Patented Sept. 1, 1942 UNITED STATES 2,784,875 PROCKSH OI PREPARING COATING MATERIALS Paul L Better and Russell Bhepbeard, Cleveland. Ohio, agiagnen to The Area Company. ClevelaniLO N lh-awing. Applicition May :3, 1941, Serial No. 384.850

8 Claims. (Cl. 117-87) Thismvcnticnreiatestoooctingmstcrialsand processes 01' preparing coating materials, which when combined and applied to a surface. produce a surface coating having a high infrared rrdicctacre value.

A principal object o! the present invention resides in the method 0! Dmparlng coating ma this to the dcoired visual color characteristics pmvio ns the desired infrared roflectance values.

Another object of the prmrent invention reoidca intimmciimdolprcrnrlng coating materials such aspainmlaoqucrsandthelibetomstchtbocoler of natural ioiiage and H We.- m mm (rated reflectance value of natural foliage.

nmrtherobicctoitbewcsentinventionisto pmvideamethodoi'pmparingacoatingmaterial, visually transparent while a high infrared transmittance and/mreiloctance value.

Thevisiblerangootthespectrumi'ormsoniya small part 0! the whole. On either side of the visible Ipwtrum there crisis invisible radiation which is somewhat similar to the visible area termed light.

On the one side and beyond the visible violet is the ultraviolet or the short wave hand area. and on the opposite side and below the visible red is the infrared area or long wave hand area.

Photographically. today. the region having wave lengths beyond 700 miliimicrons is used extensively in aerial photography more especially because ol hue penetration resulting in sharper. well deflred pictures.

Itiswellknowntotbose skiiledin the art 0! lnn'arcd photograp y. that radiation from this region of the spectrum and radiation from the visible region or the spectrum are reflected Quite diil'crently by a great many common obiccts. Probab y the most outstanding example 01 this phenomena is round when photographing natural growingi'oliage.

All green leaves contain chlorophyll. o substance or substances not as yet completely understood. either as to substance or action. Chlorophyll may be viewed as a catalvsis or simply as a color screen. It is. however, recognized tolay as the foremost plant pigment. It is positively known that visible light tailing on a leaf is largely absorbed, while the invisible lnlrnrco radiation is largely reflected. This reflection is produced. by the loci structure, i. c. tin, chlorophyil being transparent to inirarcd, pennits the loud structure to redirect the inlrared rays back in the dirwtbn or the infrared source.

In photographing natural roliage with normal typo photographic materials, such as ordinary orthochromatic or panchromatic materials. the foliage registers in the scale of gray tones. However. when an rarcd sensitive fllm or plate is used in combina on with s iilter which eliminates the visible region 0! the spectrum. but includes the infrared region. the multant developed photograph shows the ioliago as white, indicating a detluiia high infrared reflectance value oi the green foliage. Similar imnsu are impressed on the optical senses when the user used an optical instrument capable of blacking out the visible spectrum areas.

The invention is possibly best described when taken in connection with the art 0! camouflage. and more especially as it relates to wartime camouflage. In this work it is highly desirable to prepare the suriaccs to be camouflaged with a coating of paint or other coloring materials that visually correspond to the surrounding foliage.

With the development and advancement of the art of camouflage, came the need to penetrate the same. with the result that iniramd pho tography and other optical devices are now used to differentiate between the natural ioliags and the artificial or camouflaged object. and through the art oi infrared sensitive photographic fllms and viewing instruments the value of artiflciai camouflage has been greatly reduced.

It should again be noted that natural green ioliage such as leaves. grass. vines and the like, refleets infrared radiation, and when photographed by infrared photographs or viewed through fliters susceptible only to infrared waves. discloses all this material as white.

An army tank or other mechanism that is completely and perfectly visually camouflaged by the use of dark green, olive drab or similar colored iacquer,. paint or coating material. would be hidden from the eye when placed among green ioliago or positioned in a torcst. and ordinary photographyor vision would not disclose the 10- catiou oi the said mechanism. but when photographed through the medium of inlrared photography, nature's greens reveal a. white mus, while the coated or camouflaged mechanism in the manner that they are coated today. stands out in bold relief, disclosing the tremendous contract between the white of the leaves and the gray or black of the treated or coated mechanism. visually the camouflage was a complete success. but the inirared negative or print penetrated the camouflage and disclosed the mochanism's location.

It is, therefore, obvious that a coating material producing the desired visual characteristics and possessin a high infrared reflectance value equal to that provided by natural green foliage and the like, is oi tremendous importance, and would be a decided advantage, especially ior military requircments over the present camouflage material now used.

Alter long and expensive research, applicants have developed coating materials and methods or preparing coating materials and the like such as lacquer. paint. etc. that when applied to the object to be coated. will produce tl desired visual color characteristics and possess the desirable infrared reflectance and transmittance values.

The most desirable color for war time camouliege yetdsveloped iaprovided by using the United States Government formula using the following ingredirmts:

Minimum of total solids-60%.

67% to 75% of the total solids to contain the following uisments:

Iron oxide. carbon black. lead chromate. in proportions required to match U. 6. Army standard.

mtender base in proportions deemed necessary by the manufacturer.

when the pigments are prepared to form coatlnt' material. the resultant color is the United gates standard "Luster-lea Olive Drsb"--es used The resultant color coating material produced by use of this formula. namely Olive Drab". possome no infrared reflectance value, in fact igmsni-e provide a high infrared absorbing v and is a green which closely matches the natural green foliage. Visually this formula is highly emcient. but when photographed through the medium of infrared photomvhr or viewed throush infrared filters, the coated obleot appears blackordartgrayonthephotographindimct contrast to the natural foliage. which is indicated on the print as white;

It is obvious, therefore, that camouflage coating material produced by the said formula when applied to objects to he camouflaged. is of little or no value when the objects are positioned among natural foliage. except as and when visually oi served.

By the preeent invention any desired color or colors mny be prepared, and more especially in the tang: covering the darker tones. shades or color having desirable visual color characteristics and also possessing the desired infrared reflectance value.

The above mentioned United fltatcs Government "Olive Drab" formula can be perfectly matched, having all of the visual characteristics such as color, non-slam. iusterless and any desired surface characteristic. yet possessing the desired maximum infrared reflectance value. It should be understood that other formulations follow ngv the principle of this invention having either glossy or net surfaces, all possess the same inherent characteristics.

It should be further understood that several formulations may be used to produce the result disclosed in this invention. several of which are here given.

Typical pigment formulations in accordance with this invention and producing a coating material visually matching the standard United Btates Government "Olive Drab."

These percentages hold for the particular sources as used.

Any of the well known common paint, lacquer. varnish or cold water hinders for the above pig-- menis may be mixed therewith to provide a complete coating material.

It should be noted in the above typical example that the pigments listed possess substantially no infrared absorbing qualities as all of them either reflect or are transparent to infrared radiation. yet they are visually a perfect match for U. 8. Army standard. For'example, in Formula 1 the chrome oxide and silica both possess high infrared ce values and the toluidine maroon and :Ibestine both possess infrared trammittance ues.

Inl'ormulailthechrome yellowandsilioaboth possess high infrared reflectance values. and the ccruleanblueandtoluidinemaroonbothpo-einfrared transmittance values.

Colors made from pigments which give a visual sensation of yellow, orange. red and white. can walllheeaidtohavehighinfraredreflectance ucs.

Obviously other colors may be provided by I?- plying the principle of selective pigmentation as eetforthinthisinventionwhereinthemeofpigments possessing high infrared transmission valuesareueedespeciallytheinertalsdw pigments.

In providing lighter colors such as apple green" the following is an example for the pi:-

ment formulation.

Per cent Light chrome yellow....................... 14.! Cerulean blue ll Bllioa 38.!

To this pigment is added any common paint, lacquer. varnish or cold water vehicle.

In providing dark colors such as medtum brown." the following is used for the pigmnst formulation:

= Percent Chrome yellow... its 'lloluidine maroon Ll Silica 25.!

A! the formulations toheueedmustisb elude pigments having high infrared reflectance values combined with piaments having blah inreason ihemalorityofyellowaorangenrem whitegahowhighinfrarcdrefiectanoe. max erpigmenissuohasblumgreenahrowmasa aeneral mleshowlittleornol'efleotaneeintbe visual red end of the spectrum these! noneinthe inl'raredend. M a.

'lherehavehecniu'iorsuggestionsofessminl splamentsanddyesunderinlraredllahtwitn 30.8 rstheidsaofelaesifringmchmatn-ieleasreflee- :ticeofrubbingupbyhandinasiassmullera visually opaque will cover the'white cardboard 1s permittheinfraredraystofreelypavsthrough surface underneath. Thus the surface undera,ao4,ers 3 tore or absorbers of infrared. although the re- These factors include the base on which the suits of these previous studies and those concoating is applied, he coating applied, and the ducted by the present inventors are at variance ,wrfuoe applied to a coated surface. inahumherofeases, Vncretbsbaeeorcoetedbasspcssesathe The instant inventors have discovered a nums characteristic of or infrared absorber, it is of the bar of materials satisfactory for paint fllms which utmost importance to provide a coating therefore are visually opaque and give to the eye a some hsvi-zg high infrared reflectance values and void tion of very dartoolcrs. yet toinfrared are abof any infrared transparent characteristics.- solutely transpareht At the beginning of their though. as before disclosed. such a coating It)" research the applicants used the common praclo be made by combining s infrared pigments with small amounts of infrared trans-' given amount of pigment with a given amount of parent pigments, with the result that the coating oil. This rub up was then applied on white cardboard and it was found that pigment which is solidly,yetitcanbetransparenttoinfraredand ofsninfraredrsflectorpand ittsdesiredto chamoraiterthevisualeolorofthesaidbase ittobereflected back by the white surfaceof orooatud bassfl-bcnthecoatingmaterialto the cardboard. Such apigmcnt would ordinarily us'ed for this can be made from be classified as a reflector of infrared when acgo infrared transparent materials or a combination tuslly it is transparent to infrared and the base with infrared reflecting materials. The resultingcoatingwhilepossecsingtransparencyintlm" infrared depending upon the amounts of both typesofpigmentsusedtosecurethsdeslrcd u visualcolorwillphotcgraphpropcrlvduetcthe base over which the coating is applied.

The prime obiectmf the invention is to provide definite means of redirecting infrared rays fell ing on the oblect or objects coated with a mateneath is the absorber of infrared. not the pig- 0 rial produced by means of this invention. wherement, which is transparent to infrared. in the'obieots possess the desirable visual char- The important contribution of the present inaoteristics, and when photographed through the venture is the discovery that certain pigments, medium of infrared photography or viewed dyes, toners, lakes, etc, possessing good covering through infrared fllter reveals on the negative or properties and visually giving the sensation of 5 to the eye reflectance of the infrared radiaticm. dark colors are actually transparent to infrared What we claim is: rays and such dark colors can be mixed with the l. A coating composition having a visual dark yellows, reds, oranges and whites which are coiorof any desired hue composed of some pig. known infrared reflectors, so that visually any mcnts having high infrared transmittance churdcsired color can be produced, but under infrared 40 aeteristlos and some having high'infrared refleclight total reflection can be obtained. tance values.

The infrared values and characteristics of any 2. The production of colors for camouflage of pigment, (in or the like may be quickly and military equipment, comprising blending a easily secured through the medium of infrared bination of pigments to produce a natural foliage photography, although other means may be used so tint using pigments having a high infrared r to secure this information. The pigments, dyes, fiectance value and adding thereto color bodies or the like are individually photographed by possessing high infraredctransmittanoe value means of infrared photography. which provides whereby visually the resultant colors closely redonnite means for determining the desirable semble natural foliage tints, and when photocharacterlstics, and only pigments, dyes or the 50 graphed on infrared emulsions produce ther o like possessing high infrared reflectance values approximately the infrared reflectance value of and high infrared transmittance values can be natural foliage. used on surfaces possessing infrared absorbing 8. The method of preparing coatin mat rial characteristics. However, where the base surwhich includes adding to conventional coating face possesses high infrared reflectance charae- 5s materials color bodies selected from the group teristlcs, then the surface coating material should including pigments, toners. dyes and lakes hav. have high infrared transparent or reflectance ins reflectance and transmission values of long characteristics. light waves in the invisible spectrum greater then For example, it is known through the use of the same values poseemd by the materials of the above described method, that chrome yellow o the conventional coating.

an excellent and extremely high in-s 4. The method of preparing a visuall -dan frared reflectance characteristic, but with the colored coating material which comprises initialaddition of only 1% of carbon black. which is forming a conventional paint and We highly absorbent to infrarvd rays, the carbon black will obliterate all of the reflectance charas bodies selected from the group possessing infraacteristics possessed by the chrome yellow, therered reflectance and-transmission valuec substan. by nullifying the desired reflectance values of tialiy equal to the said values possessed by green the chrome yellow. hued vegetation.

It should be further understood that several 6. A visually olive drab coating composition factors are involved in obtaining the desired re- 7o possessing high infrared reflecting mm suits of a coating material possessing the neccs ticscomposedmainlyof infrared reflectingbodies sary characteristics to produce an infrared reand to a lesser degree mm W flectance a hen photographed by infrared photogbodies. raphy, or viewed through infrared sensitive iu- 6. A visually olive drab coating compmiflm m mts. it having substantially similar infrared reflecting over which it is applied is the reflector.

Similarly when those rub ups were applied on steel panels such infrared transparent, visually opaque materials, were classifled erroneously as infrared absorbers. They, however, are transparent to infrared and the infrared rays pass freely through the material to be absorbed by the blending with said conventional paint colorpinyin: the aimliar charactcrlaiic o1! imumiuion {if inviaible light waves about I00 miliimlcrona in with.

8. A visually dark durable aurlaou ooaiipg marial oompoaod o1 piammia auapaniiod in a liquid which, aaid Fitment: baina primariirtranamiaaiu and nabctiva oi lnirarod iilhi In. outadaorptiondlaidinirand lithium PAUL L. m mam LI II' 

